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Joan

The True Story of Britain’s Most Notorious Diamond Thief

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

Joan Hannington was the most notorious female figure in London's criminal underworld during the 80s, earning her the nickname 'The Godmother'. With her stunning looks and glamorous wardrobe, Joan was constantly underestimated, but she used this to her advantage and became an undetected mastermind in high-stakes jewellery theft. Often transforming herself into different characters, Joan seamlessly got away with millions of pounds in diamonds.

Coming from a violent, loveless childhood, Joan learnt to trust no one but herself. At seventeen, she becomes a mother, but is trapped in a disastrous marriage with a brutal thug. When he goes on the run, Joan seizes the moment to leave her old life. Motivated by her desire to care for her daughter, Joan gets swept up in the exhilarating world of a life of crime and makes some heartbreaking decisions as she sets her sights on a better life.

Joan is the true story of her meteoric rise from petty offender to one of Britain's most accomplished diamond thieves, making a success of life by not playing by the rules when the odds seemed stacked against her.

©2024 Joan Hannington (P)2024 Penguin Audio Murder True Crime Crime Scary Thought-Provoking Exciting
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Listen to this is a day, totally addictive, and brutally honest from the author. I never wanted it to end. I’ve watched the TV show which is good, but this book is absolutely amazing. I also enjoyed the updated part at the end.

Best Book I’ve Listed to

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This autobiography is really excellent. What a life, so interesting, engaging, compelling even. The narration is also faultless. The TV drama is different and has clearly used lots of artistic licence. Both are very enjoyable. Highly recommend.

Brilliant!

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This was a fascinating book to listen to, but parts are brutal and disturbing. Joan Hannington's father was a disgusting child abuser, somehow indulged by his weak wife, Joan's mother.

It's clear that this violent insane childhood left Mrs Hannington badly damaged, fearing nobody and with a talent for violence herself.

This is a credible and shocking account of a successful life of crime, with all the ups and downs that implies.

A Compelling and Brutal Story

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Totally relate to this book on some issue and struggles and it gave me hope

Absolutely loved it

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What a story! Such an interesting life. Very coarse at times (unnecessarily in my view) but a really good listen nonetheless. And the story is quite different from the recent tv series, although I enjoyed that too.

Wow!

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